So… you probably have an Instagram account right?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think you use it in your business?
Let’s say 10 is “I’m IG Queen… I know how to create videos and stories… I check my analytics regularly… and know what to do with that information. AND I take action on it consistently.”
And let’s say 1 is… “Ummmm… I have an account, I think? I dunno, it’s so I can see pictures of my sister’s kids.” LOL
Big range, right?
I’d guess that most people listening to this right now would rate themselves in the 5-6 range.
You use IG for your business… as in you post content pertaining to what you’re up to… maybe some education or insights about your biz… but you haven’t ventured much into the other features of IG.
Like Reels… or IGTV… or maybe even Stories.
Well, my friends, you’re gonna want to stick around for the ENTIRE episode today.
Because not only am I gonna drop some strategy on ya about how to use these features to grow and scale your biz…
I’m also gonna invite you to my Instagram Tutorial Workshop… which is free when you show up live.
Stay tuned for more on that here at the end of today’s episode.
Ok, so let’s assume you’re not at the Kylie Jenner level of IG success just yet.
Girlfriend literally has over 314 MILLION followers. The woman with the most IG fans, last time I checked.
I’d say she’s on a 10 scale of knowing how to use the platform, wouldn’t you? LOL
Anyway.
If you had to focus on just two parts of Instagram to grow your biz this year… here they are.
- Stories, and
- Reels. Reels are those short form videos you find on the platform.
Let’s start with Stories.
Stories are actually one of my fav things to create.
If you aren’t totally down with Stories yet, they’re shown at the top of your feed – and they’re only available for 24 hours.
Stories are most often viewed by people who already follow you.
Now, you might be wondering… yeah ok, but if that means that I’ve already gotten them to follow my account… why should I bother learning something new if they can see my posts?
Well, it’s because social media is a relationship building tool.
It’s not enough to just get someone to follow you.
You need to engage them… build that relationship… and affinity with you.
Because relationships are what lead to your success in business.
Stories are how you get intimate with your followers.
The best way to use them is to choose 2-3 things in your life you want to share regularly.
For example, your kids – assuming your kids are cool with being on your feed. I’m a huge believer in asking permission before posting.
My daughter Madeline is generally cool with being in my Stories – as long as her showing up as the star in my life is part of her weekly allowance. I’m ok with it. It’s something we do together. And the girl is earning her keep. Have you seen her in my stories? She’s a pro.
I also think she may have more fans online than I do. She’s 12. LOL. Well maybe not more overall. But she has started multiple TikTok accounts and built them up to 20k or so before she got bored and started over. (The girl needs my tutorial here on community and pitching to her audience)
Anyway, she and I are creating content that connects with my community… and it’s actually a way for me to connect with my daughter.
So WIN WIN!
Another thing you can share are your hobbies.
Because according to the law of attraction… like attracts like.
Not that you need a full on army of little yous on your feed… but you wanna vibe with YOUR kind of peeps on there.
BTW, ever since the Superbowl, I’ve been obsessed with this Spotify playlist of all their hits.
So thinking about the little army of yous totally made me think of that “Real Slim Shady” video with all the Eminems.
No joke, they need to go on tour together. I’d be there in a heartbeat.
Ok, so back to hobbies… consider hobbies to be a little behind the scenes look at your life.
For me, I often post my workouts. People are ASTOUNDED that I prioritize working out every day the way that I do.
And they often want to know what I’m doing. Because I’m not a traditional gym person.
So I use Stories to show them.
People are also fascinated by what I eat.
Because yes, I’m vegan… and to be honest with you, sometimes people view that as me showing off.
Or trying to be fancy.
But the fact is… I actually prefer it!
So I show people what being vegan is actually like.
For example, did you know that you can make delicious vegan nachos? I promise you it’s not, like, a bunch of spinach and some BS black beans on top. LOL
There is such a thing as vegan comfort food… so I really enjoy sharing some of these tips to eat more plant based without giving up taste.
I can’t tell you how many DMs I’ve gotten before with people telling me they tried a simple plant-based swap and they loved it!
So I use stories like that to share a bit about my life – the things people ask me about all the time – and they get inspired to make positive changes in their own life.
Another way to use Stories is to focus on one area of your biz.
For example, you’ll often find me posting content about essential oils.
Because I’m even MORE obsessed with EOs than I am Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, and Dr Dre going on tour with Eminem.
Fifty Cent is welcome to come, as well. LOL
But if I could hang out with Eminem and have a diffuser going while we’re hangin…. Ok, I digress.
EOs are a big part of my overall business AND life… so I choose to feature them in my social media.
I love offering recipes using EOs.
It's actually something that helped me grow my biz when I first started out on Instagram… and now I have nearly 50,000 people.
Stories are an amazing connection tool because when someone replies to a Story, it goes directly into your DM.
And DMs are how you build relationships.
Ok so now let’s talk about video.
I’m gonna bet that a LOT of you here haven’t tried Reels yet.
Tons of people have blocks about video.
We get soooo into our heads about how we look… feeling awkward… like everyone is judging us.
So let’s set that aside for right now – and put our business hats on.
Reels are for finding new people.
They’re how you bring people into your stories.
Reels can be public – they’re searchable. You can get discovered using Reels.
And Instagram is already prioritizing video content over static posts, so if you want to use IG in your biz… you gotta get comfortable being on video.
The cool thing is… the Reels feature actually gives you a lot of ammo to be creative AND get found.
For example, using trending sounds and hashtags – and putting your own spin on them.
I feel like I need to say this… but it’s pretty obvious.
You don’t wanna hop on a trend just to do it.
If it’s inauthentic to you – or you literally copy other people without putting your own flavor on it… it’s gonna come across as thirsty.
AKA: fake. Like you’re a poser.
I feel like I covered about 3 generations with those words, so hopefully everyone gets what I mean. LOL
You can totally utilize trends – so long as you make them your own.
There’s great music on there that you can use… fun stickers… hashtags… filters…
All sorts of interesting add-ons to put your spin on what’s hot and working right now.
Whenever people tell me that they SUCK at creating video for instagram… do you know the one thing I tell them that makes them smile?
I say, “give less effs.”
As in, do it scared. Do it anyway. Stop caring so much.
The person who is gonna judge you the hardest… is YOU.
So put yourself out there.
View it as practice. It’s all an experiment.
I know for a fact that video content on social is not just the future – it’s the now.
So you gotta start practicing if you wanna leverage IG for biz growth.
Now… maybe you’re thinking: “Ok Hayley, I hear ya… I will give less effs and just DO it… but I don’t know how to START.”As in, what friggin buttons to even press!
So I got you.
In my Instagram Tutorial Workshop – which is coming up on Wednesday, March 23rd – I’ll walk you through the platform.
Yep, including HOW to create Stories and Reels…
Step by step.
You’ll literally be watching my screen as we do it together.
So you can actually start practicing right away… and apply BOTH of these strategies in your biz.
Because not only do you want to attract new people… you want to retain and engage the ones you have, right?
Reels and Stories are hyper strategic ways to do both of those things.
With social media, you’re opening your business up to a world of BILLIONS of people worldwide.
No joke, last time I checked, there were around 1.4 BILLION people on Instagram alone.
Which means more than 1 in 5 people follows Kylie Jenner.
Ummm. What?!
BTW, truth time… I didn’t actually calculate that in my head.
I did the math as I mapped out today’s episode, but WOW – she’s got 22% of Instagram following her account alone!
Bananas.
Note to self: Check to see if I’m following her.
Not that you have to get to Kylie levels of success to make an impact on IG… but it is an incredibly powerful tool to attract, engage, and convert your ideal customers or clients online.
Normally this is a $97 workshop – but if you show up live, you can come for free.
I’ll gift you access to this instagram tutorial training.
After my last time running this workshop, Zoe posted a quote I wanted to share with ya today.
She said, “This workshop helped me with my fear and to change my mindset. And just see IG as a fun way to share me – and build my brand!”
Whether you’ve got a personal brand… you’re front and center in your brand… or you want to learn IG for some other business reason… you should come to the workshop.
Again, it’s on Wednesday, March 23 – and you’ll be my guest when you attend live.
Ok friends… I hope you took away some good insights and ideas about how to use IG to grow your biz this year…
I’ll see ya next week at the workshop. Thanks for tuning in!